Lori Edelson, family therapist and founder of the BMC, was recently featured on Seen Magazine to discuss the rapid rise of Illness Anxiety Disorder due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The length and severity of the global pandemic has people justifiably focused on health – but illness anxiety becomes a disorder when it affects daily functioning. Lori says that:
““We have never received as many calls with complaints of anxiety and fear related to the same specific trigger as we have since the onset of the pandemic, Fears about getting ill, contracting COVID and the ongoing impact of living in a world where the possibility of a pandemic is ever present are some of the most common themes causing individuals to seek therapy now. I would estimate that health-related anxieties may be up as much as 60 to 75%.”
Read the full article here. If you or a loved one is having trouble managing the ongoing stress related to the pandemic, please contact the Birmingham Maple Clinic for a virtual or safe in-person consultation.